When it comes to fashion, we often look to the past for inspiration and ideas. This season, the 90s have attracted a lot of attention from designers and stylish men around the world. Known for its relaxed and carefree sense of style, the '90s spawned many amazing trends, many of which have long since gone out of fashion and made a comeback.
In this article, we'll look at some of them and show you how you can rock them today. This is your complete guide to '90s men's fashion.
Men's fashion of the 90s in Russia
In general, the following definition fits Russian men's fashion in the 90s. This is an explosion of color, based on continuous self-expression, which often turned into banal posing. Representatives of the strong half of humanity in those days, together with their country, were not having the best of times - enterprises were closed, people were left without work and were forced to look for new means of earning money, which were not always legal.
Create a masculine look in grunge style
When creating a grunge look for men, remember that this style has no specific boundaries and you can endlessly experiment with a combination of attributes in your wardrobe. By combining different clothing items with each other, you can create many unique looks.
Let's create the simplest look: You can wear a simple stretched T-shirt, and on top throw on a leather jacket or denim, worn jeans, and then tie a shirt around your waist. You can complement a man's look with a leather backpack, a baseball cap or a beanie hat, or you can hang a discreet pendant around your neck. For footwear we will use military-style boots, similar to combat boots.
The image is ready!
Big man style
The contrast to the bright, flashy squeaks of youth men's fashion of the 90s was business suits with an extended shoulder line, which, despite all their severity, still looked somehow awkward on the stronger sex, who in life were accustomed to wearing more democratic ensembles. The main “face” of the era was the design house Versace, which in 1992 presented its new collection to fashionistas - crimson jackets and gray trousers. Important details of the image of a businessman in the 90s were “boilers” - an electronic watch “Montana” and “golda” - a large gold chain around the neck.
The “New Russians” immediately approved the idea of the legendary brand, but they, of course, did not dress in the original, but in some underground version of Versace. Depending on the situation, the wardrobe could undergo changes. For example, trousers were replaced by sweatpants, worn under the same jacket. The men's feet were shod in classic, pointed-toed shoes that had become trendy at that time. An invariable attribute of both the “big man” and the small market entrepreneur, and the “kid” from the gateway was the man purse, which came to us from Italy at the beginning of the decade.
Wardrobe essentials
Men's clothing in grunge style
Men's grunge is a style that can be easily identified by a plaid flannel shirt, ripped, shapeless jeans (or shorts) and baggy knitwear.
In addition to the clothing items listed above, important attributes in clothing for men are:
- Stretched T-shirts and sweaters, cardigans;
- A leather jacket or biker jacket with scuffs, possibly even cracks in the leather;
- Ripped jeans;
- The coat is a couple sizes larger;
- Vests;
- Breeches;
- Jackets decorated with patches on the sleeves.
As for prints and logos, their use is permitted. The print should be discreet and can be checkered, striped or camouflage-like. All kinds of positive drawings should be abandoned. Dull and depressing colors are a great choice for masculine grunge.
Important: A scruffy appearance is just an image you create. Although things should look untidy, they should still be washed and kept clean. This also applies to the man himself who wears these things. Hair must be clean and nails trimmed!
Material
Since men's grunge has no clear boundaries, its representatives are not limited in the choice of materials for their clothing. In general, any fabric in which a person feels comfortable can be used. However, predominantly grunge style clothing for men is made of washed denim, viscose, flannel, cotton and knitwear; corduroy and suede products are also popular.
Colors
Men's grunge is dominated by dark and faded shades. Mainly:
- Black;
- Terracotta;
- Dark green;
- Khaki;
- Dark grey;
- Light colors (in minimal quantities).
Attention: Shades of red are not acceptable in the men's grunge style.
Men's shoes in grunge style
Since masculine grunge allows you to combine completely incongruous items, you can easily combine any grunge look with chunky shoes and make it look passable. An excellent option would be rough men's military-style boots, such as Timberland or Martens. An excellent addition to the look would be rivets or spikes on your shoes.
Also an excellent and indispensable option in hot weather would be worn-out sneakers or sneakers. The most common are low or high-top sneakers made of textile or suede. For example, Converse.
Accessories in grunge style
To complete your grunge look, you need to choose the right accessories. Do not load your image with a large number of accessories; they should minimally complement your outfit and should not be too noticeable. You can limit yourself to a beanie or hat, but it’s nice to have the following attributes in your closet:
- Aged scarf;
- Cap or baseball cap;
- Long scarf;
- Not very flashy bracelets or baubles;
- Leather or textile backpack.
Please note: accessories should complement your look, so they, like other elements of clothing, should be made in grunge style (worn, washed out, etc.)
For "serious guys"
Judging by the photo, men's fashion of the 90s left its indelible imprint on sports style. If our contemporaries perceive visiting the gym as an integral element of a healthy lifestyle, then in those days regular visits to the “rocking chair” were something like one of the ways to fight for survival in a harsh political and economic reality. The realities of the time were such that remarkable physical strength was required in order to clear a place in the sun from competitors.
That is why “Adidas” tracksuits, or more precisely, “Adibadas” or “Abidas”, coupled with sneakers , in which it is so convenient to catch up with someone (or vice versa, to run away) became an important part of the wardrobe of sports guys who carried out various kinds of assignments “ big man,” which was discussed above. In cold weather, young people wore down jackets, which, unlike modern winter clothes, were incredibly thick, heavy and uncomfortable. Well, in the spring and autumn, the “boys” were in full swing in leather jackets, which they wore under the same training suits with white stripes.
Flip flops
A little more about one more attribute of current fashion - flip-flops. Yes, they have been walking around the planet for several days now and have been fashionable for more than one season. Yes, it is recommended to wear them with black Gopnikov socks, with a cap pulled to the side and a boar net as the main accessory. If we also remember the Adidas tracksuit, then immediately go ahead and sing to the market to collect “tribute”. In addition, flip flops take on a truly fashionable note and mind you, not in the summer, no, they are torn into the winter!
But it’s okay in Europe, the winter is warm, but here this trick is already familiar. Everyone laughs, but the jokes may well be taken into account in the next season. After all, some representatives of our society have already sported this outfit. And the trouble is that men have two extremes: either I’m stubborn and do everything to spite everyone, or I don’t care what I’m wearing.
Both capricious and lazy people will find many positive things in the presented wardrobe. But real men care much less about ethical twists than women. And if for women a hoodie turns into an elegant warm sweater with long sleeves, which allows you not to use gloves, then on a man it looks not only untidy but also disgusting.
The wardrobe of “enterprising” people
Everything that the men's fashion of the 90s prescribed to be worn was obtained thanks to black marketeers - small traders of clothes, shoes and accessories from fake, but foreign manufacturers. Small traders of foreign things were immediately visible - they put on all the most “stylish” things to show how rich they were. These include bootcut jeans, baseball caps with “USA California” embroidery, sneakers with bright laces, and “BOYS” sweaters, so revered not only by men, but also by ladies. A special cry of fashion was the “Chicago Bulls” jacket , which was reversible, which allowed you to feel yourself in a new look for the same money, simply by turning the outfit inside out.
Borsets
And yet it’s funny to imagine, not only to see, a purse from Dior, it’s strange that they haven’t yet picked up the idea of a bag wrapped in something like a purse. The situation will be even worse for Louis Vuitton and Supreme; probably, their clients either have no idea about the dashing 90s in the post-Soviet space or, on the contrary, they are tormented by nostalgia, and who wouldn’t want to return to their youth?
Is it really a good gift for those who have been honoring famous brands since their youth? Or is Louis Vuitton expanding its consumer base? Just as amazing are the boy berets and bandit bags with the Supreme logo.
It seems that now everything will become clear to the common people where some people get the money for Balenciaga caps. True, the models were striking in their modesty; alas, they did not have rosaries and signet rings. But it is expected that this shortcoming of Demna Gvasalia, who now heads Balenciaga as creative director, will soon be corrected.
To return the world a few years ago and throw it into Eastern Europe is not even a joke, but the same thing as silk scarves similar to the robe of a priest in the Orthodox Church; by the way, Demna became famous for this move in his first collection. And a slightly modified borset, and masterpiece eight-piece caps just like the 90s. I was also pleased with the Panama hats from Dior Homme and Julien David, they are also unchanged.
Rebellious spirit
The era of emerging capitalism could not but give rise to its principled opponents. Such musical trends as Russian rock, Western punk, grunge, and at the end of the decade, hip-hop, gave birth to their new heroes, who had many followers “in the world.” Young people actively imitated the dressing style of Viktor Tsoi, Igor Talkov, the guys from the Sex Pistols, shaving their mohawks and wearing riveted leather jackets with torn T-shirts, Kurt Cobain with his rough boots, wrinkled shirt and long tangled hair, black hooligans with wide dreadlocks “pipe” pants.
The history of the origin of the grunge style
The path to the world of grunge fashion was paved by designer Marc Jacobs. It was he who presented his first grunge collection in the early 90s, at the peak of Nirvana’s popularity. The women's collection was demonstrated on the catwalk, but the characteristic style trends were preserved. The unusual combination in the presented images angered fashion critics and the designer was fired, but grunge retained its relevance even in 2021.
But it is the rock musician Kurt Cobain, lead singer of the famous group Nirvana, who is considered to be the founder of male grunge. Being a true rock performer, Kurt showed his disdain for everything connected with glamor.
The musician demonstrated his attitude using his clothes as an example. It was Kurt Cobain who wore the well-known torn jeans, sweaters stretched to the point of bags, and the main attribute of men's grunge - flannel shirts. It was not uncommon to see that all these elements were worn on a musician in several layers. Fans imitated Kurt Cobain and followed his example in choosing their clothing style.
They say that the rock singer himself dressed second-hand and often exchanged things with the poor.
Stylish examples
- A good and original option for a man would be a combination of faded jeans, a saggy T-shirt and a flannel shirt. For footwear, you can use military-style boots and put a hat on your head. If desired, you can throw a biker jacket on top.
- It would also be a good idea to create layers. You can put on a vest, then a flannel shirt and then a formal vest on top, with good old jeans as the bottom. You can complement the look for a man with a scarf and hat. Johnny Depp appeared in this image at a meeting with fans.
- A simpler look can be created by wearing patched jeans, sneakers, a stretched T-shirt and top it with the essential flannel shirt or wool cardigan.
